make its way."

He spoke: then bearing in a dish
A gift of honey, meat, and fish,
The king of the Nishadas drew
Toward Bharat for an interview.
When Bharat's noble charioteer
Observed the monarch hastening near,
He duly, skilled in courteous lore,
The tidings to his master bore:
"This aged prince who hither bends
His footsteps with a thousand friends,
Knows, firm ally of Rama, all
That may in Dandak wood befall:
Therefore, Kakutstha's son, admit
The monarch, as is right and fit:
For doubtless he can clearly tell
Where Rama now and Lakshman dwell."

When Bharat heard Sumantra's rede,
To his fair words the prince agreed:
"Go quickly forth," he cried, "and bring
Before my face the aged king."
King Guha, with his kinsmen near,
Rejoiced the summoning to hear:
He nearer drew, bowed low his head,
And thus to royal Bharat said:
"No mansions can our country boast,
And unexpected comes thy host:
But what we have I give thee all:
Rest in the lodging of thy thrall.
See, the Nishadas here have brought
The fruit and roots their hands have sought:
And we have woodland fare beside,
And store of meat both fresh and dried.
To rest their weary limbs, I pray
This night at least thy host may stay:
Then cheered with all we can bestow
To-morrow thou with it mayst go."

Canto LXXXV. Guha And Bharat.

Thus the Nishadas' king besought:
The prince with spirit wisdom-fraught
Replied in seemly words that blent
Deep matter with the argument:
"Thou, friend of him whom I revere,
With honours high hast met me here,
For thou alone wouldst entertain
And feed to-day so vast a train."
In such fair words the prince replied,
Then, pointing to the path he cried:
"Which way aright will lead my feet
To Bharadvaja's calm retreat;
For all this land near Ganga's streams
Pathless and hard to traverse seems?"

Thus spoke the prince: King Guha heard
Delighted every prudent word,
And gazing on that forest wide,
Raised suppliant hands, and thus replied:
"My servants, all the ground who know,
O glorious Prince, with thee shall go
With constant care thy way to guide,
And I will journey by thy side.
But this thy host so wide dispread
Wakes in my heart one doubt and dread,
Lest, threatening Rama good and great,
Ill thoughts thy journey stimulate."

But when King Guha, ill at ease,
Declared his fear in words like these,
As pure as is the cloudless sky
With soft voice Bharat made reply:
"Suspect me not: ne'er come the time